FUNERAL OF CAPTAIN MERCER AND CAPTAIN PHELPS.

Press, Volume III, Issue 349, 12 December 1863, Page 3

FUNERAL OF CAPTAIN MERCER AND CAPTAIN PHELPS.

r From the New Zealander, >"ov. 28.] i Again, the solemn march, the roll of the mufti ed > drum," and the wail of tlie- 1 rnmpets. Again »» Vast crowd assembled to witu&ss the solemni' ac 3 and pageantry of a military funeral. And in addition the offices and marts of a busy cily Bw closed whilst the rites attending the burial of brave men are being performed. i The public of Auckland have ever striven to ! render the last mark of respeel to those who 1 wave fallen in their country's service: but; on tin's | occasion there was added a feci ing.,pi* esteem for | one who had lived amongst them,who had won | their confidence by tho faithful discharge of bis military duties, and who had secured their love by showing, with lEedley Vicars and other bravo soldiers. that fidelity to an earthly Sovereign anil to the King of kings are not incompatible. I The sorrow felt in Auckland on the arrival cf ' the intelligence that Captain Mercer and Captain. Phelps had sunk under the wounds they had. received in action at Rangariri was truly heartfeltIt was grievous to think that two more officer.* had fallen through the fatuous rebellion of the= Maori race ; but it was the more grievous lo> know that one of them had left behind him a wife and little ones who aro to be sorrowed for on. '■ their loss of so good a husband and parent. I The determination to suspend business during - fhc funeral was a spontaneous act on the part of the mercantile community, as no official notice or request to that effect had been made. The deaths of Captain Mercer and his bravtr cbmrade Captain Phelps, sis our readers already know, took place on Wednesday, the 25th Nov., and the same night their remauw wore convoyed to Auckland —the former to the family resilience and the latter <o the Albert Barrack*. At four o'clock yesterday the funeral took place, and was accompanied with unusual solemnity and with military cortege in accordance with the rank of the deceased officers. The following was the order ol" the I'UOC'ES'-JOX ■■ — ■ Firing party of 100 men of the tiotb, 50th, 40tih, •and IStli Regiments ; The Bunds of the 14th and Goth Regiments, and of lI.M. s.s.s. Curagoa ; The body of Captain Phelps, Borne on v gun carriage drawn by six Artillery horses, the Coffin covered with the Union Jack, and surmounted with tho Cap and Sword of the deceased -, The body of Captain Merck ti, Borne on a gun carriage, drawn by six .Artillery horses, the coffin covered with the Union Jack, and surmounted with the Cap and Sword of the deceased; The Charger of tlie late Captain Mercer, led by two Grooms : The Pall Roarers were—Captain Sfiuister of the , r »oih; Captain Whit bread, of the <>"«th : Cap!. | Mimiett, of the I.lth : Doctor Carberry, of the 1 III: ; Captaiu Clover, of the 13rd : Captain j Yereker, of the 12lh ; Brigade Major Terence ; I and Brigade Major Paul. 1 The Chief Mourners were—Three of Captain Mercer's little Boys, and Lieutenant Rue', ! cf the Royal Artillery. These were fallowed by "several Non-Coimnissiomxl I Officers belonging to the Royal Artillery and other Regiment-i. i The men of the LVJi Regiment left in town. '■ A detachment of the Olahuhu Cay.dry, umh r l Captain lluttou.

! The men oftlie Land Transport and Commissariat [ [ Corps. ! The seamen of JI.M. s.s. Esk. j A large number of Officers of the Volunteer and i Militia Corps. ! Naval Officers. j Ministers oftlie various churches in Auckland. j Speaker anil Members of the General Assembly. ' I His Excellency Sir George Grey, X.C.8., aeooni- ■ ' p:\uied by General Galloway, and Commodore j Sir William Wiseman. j Cili/.eus of Auckland. ! On tlie arrival of the funeral procession at the Cemetery the tiring party and bands formed on cither side of the road, whilst the remainder of j those who took r»art in it tiled into the burial ground. The collin of < 'aptain Fhclps was borne to the grave by nun-ccmimssioiiod officers aud men of his Regiment, and that of Captain Mercer by troupers of the Royal Artillery. The coffins were covered with black velvet, and bore the following inscriptions .--- ---IAI'T. 11EXKV UKKCEI!, C. BATTERY 4TII UUIGAUE KOYAL AKTILLEKY, WED now 25. 180:3, OV Wul'MiS KECEIVED IN ACTION, AGED 32 VE.VKS. J i " : CAPTAIN JOHN S. l'U ELI'S, 2ND BATTALION 1 1 T It X F. G 1 M E N T , JHEI> Nov. 23, ISG3, OE WOVNDS KECEIVED IN ACTION, AOED 33 YE IKS. The grave of Captain Mercer wa> adjoining I hat j of the officers buried on Tuesday, and Captain Phelps was buried by his side. After the Funeral .Service had been impressively { : performed, three parting volieys wore tired, and the ceremony was ended. We are unable to furnish the names of all the officers who attended the funeral out of respect to their fallen comrades ; we observed, however, in addition to those already mentioned, the following gentlemen :—Colonel Ralneavis, Colonel Kenny, Urigade Major Paul. Major Campbell, Captain Do Burgh Adams, Cnptaiu Fitzgerald, Captain Saunders, Captain Anderson, Captain Whit bread, and Cornet Harris : Captain Hamilton, Lieutenant Duff, Mr. Creak, Surgeon Maiming, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Lindsay, Mr. Oldham, Mr. Olcbar, Mr. Bell, Mr. Chowne, and Mr. Crissell, of H.M.S. Esk ; Lieutenant Store, Mr. Boxer, Mr. Oluey, Mr. Festing, Mr. Bradley, and Mr. Green, of the Curacoa. Captain Henry Mercer was promoted to a captaincy iv the Royal Artillery in February 1852. He was at the siege of Sobastopol, and received a medal and clasp: he also received a Turkish medal. In 1850 he arrived iv New Zealand, in . command of the Armstrong battery, and during jj the last Tarauaki war rendered valuable service. | In private life the late Captain was highly re- ] spected, and by the religious community of i Auckland he was highly esteemed. He was a member of one of the Congregational churches, , and made himself useful in the Sunday-school, where he conducted a Bible class. He was also connected with the Young Men's Christian Association, and was a member of the Auckland Bible Society, the Committee of which joined in the procession at the funeral. A meeting of the Committee had been previously held, when the following resolution was entered on the books of the Society, and a copy fonrarded by the Hon. Secretary (the Rev. Thomas BuLllo) to Mrs. Mercer : '■ Referring to the late Captain Mercer, It.A. who received his death wound during the late conflict belweeen her Majesty's troops and the Waikato rebels at Rangariri, the Committee of i the Auckland Auxiliary Bible Society feel a mournful pleasure in recording their esteem for the memory of that gallant officer, and their ap- ; prcciatiou of the zealous services he has rendered to the Society, as an active aud diligent member of the committee. The committee also express tho deep sympathy they feel with Mrs. Mercer in her bereavement, and earnestly pray that the promises aud consolations of that Book in the spread of which her late beloved husband took so great an interest, may be her succour in this the hour of her trial." Captain John Siiaw Phe'ps received an Ensigncy in the 11th Regiment in June, 1855; a Lieuteuantcy iv July 1858. He served sit the siege of Sebastopol a; Assistant-Surgeon. For his services he received a medal and clasp, and a Turkish medal. ll** was promoted to a Captaincy after his arrival in New Zealand ; served during the Tarauaki war, and was accounted a brave and useful officer. i . . . THE THAMES EXPEDITION. ' [From the SouUiem 0-m«.«, CMfch Nov.] i An expedition, on a scale, was got up j i'jnr the Thames, known to he thy rallying-place i /or the rebels, and the way by whivh supplies of | men and food went to the Waikato from the i East Coast trilxss and northern sympathisers. It i consisted of one thousand men of all amis of the j 12th and 70th Regts., the 2nd Waikato Regt.. j and the Colonial Defence Corps. The expedi- j j tion was under the command of Colonel Carey, j i of the 18th Royal Irish. The embarkation in j Auckland was delayed for several clays, owing to the unfavorable nature of the weather; but oa Monday, the iGth November, the troops and horses were put on board H.M. s.s. Miranda aud Esk, and the hired steam transjiort Cork*. The colonial steam gun boat Sandfly, and the sailing transport Eliza, with commissariat stoves, accompanied the expedition. Four cutters, taken up by the commissariat, went down iv charge of the convoy. This j expedition !«y in Huruhi J3.iv, Waihekc Channel, I from the Monday evening of embarkation until , i t • I the following Susidiy aftern ••on, b» cause the wiird j blew from the north west, and while it rei maiiied in th.it quarter Captain Jenkins, the j senior naval o:a>:e.", would not rhk a lan.l::ig. j There was nothing to have proveat-.'d a landing j being made on Tuesday niorninj, nor do we [ { think the we.tt.her, except for a fo.v hours during j this week of mactivi'y, could h.ive at all iucon- ; voiiieneed t!ie h-j.its used in landing troops : at l'okokorc, if tho attempt h.t I bcon in ;de ; i but a »;:.• not m.ide, .1:1 I the result was

that the expedition so fr.r has been a costly demonstration, and nothing more. Tho intention was to land at Pokorokoro, and erect a redoubt there to command the navigation of tho Thames channel ; and to move on to Paparata, a woUi known Maori post, and take x\p a position there I and, after garrisoning both redoubts, the remainder of the force was to march on to Meroiuere, and form a junction with the troops at head quarters. This hue of posts has not yet been formed, however. The delay which we have noticed hindered the undertaking being carried out in j time to be of use in connection with the advance movement of General Cameron, along the line of the Waikato. Ou the landing being effected, it was found that the rebels had prepared a warm reception for the boat's c.vw attempting to go ashore at Pokorokoro. A line of traversed ride-pits, commanding the landing, with Hankini;pits on tho right and loft, had been constructed, and groat ingenuity had boon shown to hide tho fact from the landing party. Nothing at first sight appeared to indicate the existence of these ride-pits, tufts of grass having been placed along the breast-works to hide the rests for the guns and the disturbed soil. Tho channel had been staked by the Maoris, and all the boats save one grouuded. This caused considerable delay, and it' j the Maoris- bad bold their ground, they would • have caused considerable havoc. They hud ; evacuated tho place, however, and by all appearance only a few hour.- previously. Colonel Carey, with a portion of the 12th, 70th and 2nd Waikato Regiments, landed at Wakntiwai, and after a diilieult cross-country maich of thirteen miles, arrived at the Maori position after ! the lauding of tho remainder of the forces hail been cil'oetod. The evacuation of the place is attributed to the *■ friendly" communications of | the chief Saul, who was taken on board the | Miranda and lauded with ' his bill full oi' news' at Wakatiwa, another settlement, the inhabitants of which, boi'.ig exposed to our cruisers, do not find it convenient to declare opeu war. Otherwise, they are in a state of active rebellion. These 'friendly' Nat ties tried to persuade the military to ro-emb.trk, and proceed to Pokorokoro, as the Natives there, to the number of three hundred, were unprepared for resisting an attack, wore without defensive works, and could be taken by surprise. Failing in this "friendly" advice, after lut.ubering the force by which the flank movement was to be carried out, throe of them rode oil" in the direction of tho enemy's encampment, and doubtless tho evacuation was consequent on the timely intimation that the position would, in all likelihood, h>' attacked in front and rear simultaneously. And here we must express our unqualified disapproval of the system pursued on this expedition, of leaving nothing undone to inform the enemy of our numbers, armament, and intentions. The thing is uvsehievou3 in the extreme. It can do no good, aud we know that very often it does a great deal of harm. The Thames expedition was the most imposing demonstration since the commencement of the war. In summing up its results, we cannot do better than adopt the language of our own correspondent in another place: " The Tnames expedition from, the start to the finish lias been a mess and a jumble, and has ended, not in smoke, but in notaing. There liaa l«efco. :\ good 0 { ostentation, but nothing has been done."